Biography
Tracy Silverman is one of the world’s foremost electric violin soloists, bringing concert hall legitimacy to this next-generation instrument. As part of Silverman’s vision for the “future of strings”, he has premiered and recorded several major new electric violin concertos written specifically for him by composers John Adams (The Dharma at Big Sur), Terry Riley (The Palmian Chord Ryddle), Nico Muhly (Seeing is Believing), Roberto Sierra (Ficciones), Kenji Bunch (Embrace), and 3 concertos of his own; appearing with the LA Philharmonic, BBC Symphony and many others at Carnegie Hall, Disney Hall, Royal Albert Hall, and stages all over the world.
Formerly first violinist with the innovative Turtle Island String Quartet, Silverman made his professional debut at the age of 13 as soloist with the Chicago Symphony Orchestra and was named one of 100 distinguished alumni by The Juilliard School. Silverman is notable not only for his development and use of the electric 6-string violin, but also for what he terms “progressive string playing”, an evolution of classical string playing that embraces contemporary popular idioms such as rock, jazz and hip hop.
TV/internet and radio includes a solo Tiny Desk Concert on NPR, A Prairie Home Companion, Performance Today, St. Paul Sunday, and a profile on CBS News Sunday Morning. A longtime proponent of string education, Silverman is a leader in the progressive string community and the host of The Greater Groove: The Future of Strings podcast. His Strum Bowing method has been adopted by players and teachers all over the world. Silverman is the author of The Strum Bowing Method: How to Groove on Strings, and The Rhythm String Player: Strum Bowing in Action, as well as several etude books and online courses on his Strum Bowing Groove Academy. Silverman is on the faculty of Belmont University in Nashville, TN.
“Fleet agility and tangy expressivity.”–NY Times
“Blazing virtuosity. You’ll be amazed anyone can play the violin like that.”–Chicago Tribune
“Inspiring. Silverman is in a class of his own.”–LA Times
